The Legend of Earth Land
by AlucardsBro
Summary: A young warrior is exiled from homeworld. Condemned to a life of repugnance, he is inexplicably spared by a chance accident, which in turn sends him to an entirely new planet. How will he fare in this new environment? Will he manage to make lifelong allies? Will he manage to control the power raging within him? And, will he manage to become the greatest wizard in history?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Homecoming

* * *

**Hello everyone.**

**So, I know that it's been quite some time since I've been on fanfiction, and I am truly sorry about that. However, school has been my priority for the past few months. Thankfully, though, I am currently on a pretty long break, and I really hope I can get a decent amount of writing done before I have to go back.**

**Some of you may have been hoping that I would immediately jump back into my other stories, such as **_**"Bloodstained Souls" **_**and **_**"Fibers of the Universe." **_**Unfortunately, I am still having a bit of writer's block concerning those fics, so I'm hoping that starting something new will help get my mind back on track to continue my pre-existing stories.**

**On the topic of this new story, it should be obvious from the tags above that this will be a crossover between **_**Fairy Tail **_**and **_**Dragon Ball Super. **_**Some of you may be asking yourselves: "How on earth does AlucardsBro plan on believably pairing these two series when the characters in them have such wildly different power levels?" Well, without giving anything away just yet, I will go ahead and say that this story will focus mainly on only one character from **_**DBS, **_**with another one popping up further down along the line. And yes, I am fully aware that literally any character from **_**Dragon Ball **_**could crush the entire cast of **_**Fairy Tail **_**characters, save for possibly a few, and I have made sure to take that knowledge into account.**

**The **_**DBS **_**character I will be focusing on will not face very many true physical challenges until further along in the story. He will also easily be the strongest member of the guild. However, even with that being said, I hope to give the actual story more attention that just constantly crapping out fight scenes. Fight scenes are fun and all, but a story gets boring if they're all you use to comprise the plot. Additionally, keep in mind that pure strength can sometimes be trumped by superior skill and experience. This has been proven time and time again in countless anime series, including **_**Dragon Ball **_**itself. **

**Now then, on with the show!**

**I hope you all enjoy, and please feel free to offer any ideas and suggestions you might have for future arcs and plot elements.**

**AlucardsBro OUT!**

* * *

_(Planet Vegeta; Age 732)_

Uncaring of the multiple warriors and servants who attempted to block his path, Paragus pushed past them all angrily and threw open the grand, elaborate doors of the Saiyan throne room.

All conversation within the enormous chamber immediately ground to a halt, and the Generals and Elites gathered by the throne turned away from one another to offer him a collection of scathing looks. Doing his best to reign in his temper, Paragus inhaled a deep breath before dropping to a knee in a show of modest respect. "Please, forgive me for barging in, but I must speak with His Majesty. I…I understand that you intend to send Broly away, and that his pod is destined for an outlying world?"

Sat on his throne at the opposite end of the room, King Vegeta propped his chin up with a hand and let out a careless grunt. "That is correct. A great honor, is it not?"

"And _honor_…? Please, Sir, that is a fate meant for a _lower class _warrior, not my son!"

"Oh, on the contrary. What greater way to test your boy and gauge whether or not he is a truly exceptional warrior? If he is able to conquer an unclaimed planet all on his own, then he will be hailed as a hero amongst our ranks. Besides, subjugating other worlds and selling them to the highest bidder is what we Saiyans have always done."

Paragus felt his upper brow twitch. Biting his lower lip, he did his very best to maintain the fragile hold he had on his growing fury. Attempting to calm himself by sucking in a deep breath, the Colonel raised his eyes to meet the King's disinterested gaze. "But his destination is the planetoid Vampa. It's an inhospitable world devoid of any kind of intelligent life. What could we ever hope to gain by selling such a barren and useless planet?"

Vegeta's lips tightened, and his brow drew down ever-so-slightly in apparent annoyance. "The truth of the matter is that your son's latent abilities have proven to be abnormally elevated for someone his age. I might even go far enough as to call him a freak. Someday, that much power might just end up driving him completely insane, and when that time _does _come, he could prove to not just be a danger to Planet Vegeta, but to the entire universe. Be grateful that I'm merely exiling him to a faraway world instead of outright executing him."

Paragus snarled, rising to his feet in a flash. Several of the warriors behind him stepped forward, preparing to restrain him if things got out of hand. Regardless, he didn't even give their presence a second thought. "No! This…this isn't right! You're jealous, aren't you?!"

"Tread very carefully, Colonel…" Vegeta warned.

"That _is _it, isn't it? You're jealous that Broly's battle power proved to be higher and more impressive than the prince's! I'm right, aren't I? Aren't I?!"

"It doesn't matter either way; your boy's battle pod is already in-route to Vampa. Now hold your tongue or I shall cut it out myself and execute you publicly. Do I make myself clear?"

Ignoring the King completely, Paragus turned to one of the many stained-glass windows lining the left side of the throne room. Flaring his aura and rising into the air, he propelled himself forward at a blinding speed and _through _the window itself, sending a shower of broken shards of glass raining down onto the floor, as well as the street outside. Tuning out the numerous orders to halt that barely reached his ears, Paragus put on an extra burst of speed and rocketed away from the palace, towards the military's docking station. The trip took him all of two minutes, which was fairly impressive given the distance between the palace and the hangar. Normally, such a flight took the average Saiyan warrior about ten or so minutes, depending on what the air traffic was like on any given day. Then again, he _was_ flying at speeds that far exceeded what was legally allowed this close to the planet's surface.

Of course, Paragus didn't really care about breaking any more laws at this point. He'd already insulted the King directly to his face and destroyed royal property. If he turned back now, he would likely face immediate death.

When the hangar finally appeared in his line of sight, he slowed his approach and descended towards the massive platform the housed rows after rows of top of the line Saiyan spaceships. Some were crafted as assault crafts, which were intended to assist in the complete decimation of a planet's native population. Other crafts were simply designed with reconnaissance in mind; they were far smaller, and possessed few if any weapons on their outer hull. Deciding that he would likely be better off not attracting any more attention than he already had, Paragus landed outside of an already open scouting ship and ascended the lowered ramp into the craft.

"Hey, you can't go in there!"

Freezing in place, Paragus slowly turned around and fixed the engineer who'd called out to him with the most _murderous _glare he could muster. The scrawny Saiyan crumpled under the intensity of his gaze almost immediately, and took several fearful steps back. The squirrelly fellow didn't even look like much of a Saiyan to begin with, and Paragus might have mistaken him for a member of another race had he not possessed the unmistakable tail and battle armor. "What did you say?"

"I…I can't allow you to take this ship. I-It's still in the process of receiving proper inspections."

"What is your name?"

"W-What?"

Pargus snarled, taking another threatening step forward. "Your name! What is it?"

"I-I'm Beets."

"Well then, _Beets, _you're more than welcome to try and stop me. Otherwise, get the hell out of my way; I need to save my son." With that, Paragus turned back around and briskly walked up the ramp and into the main cabin of the ship. The sound of another pair of footsteps reached his ears, alerting him to the fact that Beets had apparently decided to follow him. It didn't matter, though; all that _did _matter was getting to Vampa and finding Broly.

Settling into the pilot's chair, Paragus pulled the lever to raise the ship's loading ramp before launching into the somewhat complex process of checking the main instruments and starting the engine. Everything needed to be calibrated properly before takeoff, otherwise both he and Beets would likely crash and die in a fiery explosion before they even managed to leave the atmosphere. Speaking of Beets…

"So, are you going to try and stop me?"

"Huh?" the other Saiyan responded, raising a single brow in confusion. "Are you crazy? I don't think I could even if I wanted to…"

"So why tag along?"

"Well, I'm responsible for this ship, so I may as well come with you and make sure nothing happens to it. Once you find your kid, we can all come back and-"

"We won't be coming back," Paragus grunted irritably.

"Wha- why not?!"

"When I say 'we,' I mean Broly and myself. That bastard Vegeta would have us killed as soon as our auras were detected within the upper atmosphere. No, we'll have to find somewhere else to live… you're more than welcome to come back after you drop us off, though."

"Why would His Majesty want to kill you?"

"Let's just say the last thing I said to him was considerably less than respectful, and leave it at that. Am I going to have to worry about you reporting me to the council?"

Beets made an interesting noise that sounded like an awkward combination between an offended gasp, a squawking animal, and an air compressor. "Do you genuinely think I'm that stupid?! Hell, I may not have much experience with the warrior class, but I don't doubt you wouldn't even hesitate to kill me if I tried to go behind your back…"

"Hm. Smart of you."

"See what I mean?! You didn't even deny it!"

In lieu of offering up another reply, Paragus pressed a series of controls on the ship's main console, before grabbing the main steering lever. Pulling back slightly, he felt the craft shift beneath him, rising into the air in accordance with his manual guidance. Before long, the hangar became a speck of grey beneath them, and then the capital city itself was swallowed up by the surrounding landscape only a minute later. Before long, the ship ascended out of Planet Vegeta's breathable atmosphere, and into the space that expanded infinitely beyond.

Countless stars became visible outside of the ship's viewing window, and Beets leaned forward to let out a breath of awe. When he had been assigned his first mission as a young warrior, Paragus had expressed a similar reaction to seeing the void of space for the very first time. It had truly been a beautiful sight, and it still was, but he was mostly indifferent to it now. He'd seen it so many times that the initial effect had long-since worn off. Reaching out to access the on-board navigation system, he quickly typed in the coordinates for Vampa.

To the side, Beets tore his gaze away from the window and turned to look at the computer's holographic display screen. "W-Why the hell are we going to this quadrant? Don't tell me your son was sent out there?! It's in the middle of nowhere, for Yamoshi's sake!"

Paragus snorted. "Broly's pod was programmed to head for the only remotely habitable planetoid in the system. It's called Vampa, and it orbits around Star Ninety-Four."

"I've never heard of it."

"That's no surprise. It doesn't have any intelligent life, and the Planet Trade Organization deemed it monetarily and strategically useless a good number of years ago."

"But then… why would King Vegeta send your kid somewhere that can't be turned for a profit…?"

"Because the fool can't stand that my son is almost the same age as the prince, but has a battle power that far exceeds him. The King's goal isn't to conquer anything in this system, but to instead get rid of my son." Clenching a fist, Paragus leaned back in his seat and let out a ragged, rage-filled breath. "But mark my word, Beets, I'll make sure my son _survives, _and becomes the most powerful warrior the Saiyan race has ever seen!"

Beets swallowed audibly, taking a subtle step back. "That's messed up…"

"If you're having second thoughts-"

"No, not at all! I want to help you! I know that us Saiyans aren't exactly the most kind-hearted species in the universe, but I still recognize that banishing a defenseless child to a barren world without any proper training is insanely cruel." Clenching his teeth in a surprising show of anger, Beets raised a fist and looked down at Paragus with eyes filled with determination. "I'll help you find your son, don't you worry."

Paragus remained silent for several moments, and merely stared up at his fellow Saiyan with a calculating gaze. It was rare to find such a noble-hearted individual on Planet Vegeta, and although such people were usually mocked and ridiculed by their fellow warriors and citizens, they typically didn't disappoint out in the field. Beets might have been nothing more than an untrained, combat-inept engineer, but Paragus had a feeling he would keep his word to the best of his ability.

Turning his eyes back out towards the void of space, the bulkier Saiyan nodded once and settled down in his chair, content to let the autopilot get them to their destination.

"Alright then. Let's go find Broly."

* * *

_(Two Days Later; Planetoid Vampa)_

"So, this is Vampa, huh?"

Cracking open an eye, Paragus looked out of the ship's window to observe the diminutive, sickly-yellow planetoid occupying the space before them. Sitting up in his seat, he pressed several buttons on the main control panel and resumed manual control of the ship. Pushing forward on the steering lever, he guided the craft towards Vampa and down into its gravitational field. "If my math is correct, and I calculated all of the potential factors properly, then Broly's pod should have landed here approximately two days ago. I hope to the gods that he's still alive…"

Beets rested his hands on his hips, coming to stand next to the pilot's chair. "Is there anything for him to eat or drink down there?"

"I don't know. Given that Vampa is essentially useless to the Planet Trade Organization, no explorative expeditions have ever been made down to its surface. The Saiyan data archives barely even have anything covering it other than the fact that it holds no value. If something is worthless to a Saiyan, then you can bet your ass they won't waste a single moment of their time on it…"

"Hmm… I'll go see if I can try and find something for Broly to eat once we rescue him."

Paragus merely nodded at the offer, not taking his attention away from the scenery outside. The lower he maneuvered the ship towards the surface, the more apparent it became as to why no one had bothered to try conquering it. Everything was a putrid shade of yellowish-green, from the ground below to the very air itself. Thankfully, the weather seemed to be on their side, which made the actual process of landing incredibly easy. Setting down on a rocky outcropping, Paragus engaged the landing mechanisms and powered down the ship.

Rising from chair, the former Colonel immediately turned to make a beeline for the ship's ramp. Unsurprisingly, Beets was already waiting for him there with a ration bar in one hand and a bottle of water in the other.

"You don't know much about babies, do you?" he noted with slight amusement.

The thinner Saiyan frowned, looking down at what he'd managed to collect in evident confusion. "What do you mean? Is this not good enough?"

"Broly was still supposed to be in his nursing capsule for several more weeks before Vegeta sent him away. He needs formula specifically designed to strengthen his muscles and internal organs."

"I… I don't exactly carry that around with me…"

"Neither do I, unfortunately. I would have thought to stop and grab some before we left, but I suppose it slipped my mind in the heat of the moment."

"What're we gonna do, then?"

Paragus raised a hand to press a button on the wall next to the ship's main door. Slowly, and with a metallic hiss, the ramp depressurized and began to slide open, revealing the repugnant wasteland that comprised the entirety of Vampa. "We'll just have to hope that we can find him quickly enough. I know of a few outposts that are fairly close by that should have the supplies we need."

"Are there really worlds this far away from Planet Vegeta that have the proper necessities for caring for a Saiyan baby?"

"Keep in mind that quite a few warriors actually settle down with their families on the worlds they've helped conquer. That being the case, it was only logical to the council to establish outposts in such places to help cater to the Saiyan settlers who _don't _live on Vegeta."

"That makes sense. I guess…"

Huffing, Paragus shook his head and began to descend the ramp leading to the planet's surface. Almost as soon as his boots touched solid ground, something immediately felt out of place. Frowning, he banished the sensation to the back of his mind and reached down to unclip the scouting scope attached to his belt. Bringing the device up to his right eye, he squinted to look through the miniature display screen, which offered a digitized view of the surrounding environment. There were several blips on the screen, which symbolized the closest living creatures and where they were located in relation to his own position. Unfortunately, none of the signatures were powerful enough to even belong to a premature Saiyan infant.

They were likely just specimens of the local fauna.

"See anything?" Beets asked, coming to stand next to him.

Paragus shook his head. "No not yet, but I didn't expect to find him immediately. We'll just have to keep looking." With that said, he gently rose into the air, being quickly followed by his companion. From what he was able to see as they ascended past the rock formations dominating the landscape, there were quite a few places for a small being the size of a Saiyan infant to hide. A multitude of caves and crevices were visible to the naked eye alone, but there were far too many of them to search one-by-one. Hopefully, the scouting scope would be able to narrow down their field of search by detecting Broly's battle power.

If he was still alive, of course…

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts of such negativities, Paragus flew forward at a moderate pace, continuing to survey the ground below with his scouter. Beets did the same to his immediate left, albeit looking in the opposite direction.

"Hey, what the heck is that?" the engineer suddenly asked.

Paragus turned around, slightly hopeful. "What? What do you see?"

"That thing in the sky. Is it another planet? A satellite…?"

Following his companion's line of sight, Paragus snorted and quickly turned away. "It's a moon, you fool. Don't stare at it too long, or you might become a Great Ape."

"O-Oh! Right!" Beets exclaimed nervously, voice tinged with a detectible hint of embarrassment. "I've never actually turned into a Great Ape before…"

"Yes well, that's probably for the best. You'd likely lose all sense of who or what you are."

"That sounds… incredibly unpleasant."

"It definitely isn't something warriors do just for the fun of it. Its only used as a last resort when our opponents have proven to be either too stubborn or too powerful to conquer under normal circumstances. I've only had to do it a handful of times myself."

Beets nodded, but didn't offer up another vocal response. The two Saiyans continued to fly around for what felt like hours upon hours, without any visible reward for their efforts. Paragus could slowly but surely feel whatever hope he'd possessed slipping away. However, just as he was about to give up entirely, he spotted something through his scouter's viewing screen that gave him on last burst of positivity. Situated randomly across the ground below were circular patches of what appeared to be grassland, which in turn rested within mildly deep craters.

"Let's land there and have a look around," he called out. Without bothering to wait for an agreement from Beets, the former Colonel rocketed through the air and down towards the peculiar formations.

In a matter of moments, his boots touched down upon the grassy earth. Oddly enough, what he was standing on didn't look like any grass he'd ever seen before. It was thick, course, and heavily matted in some areas. It almost reminded him of hair…

Beets landed next to him, panting slightly. "Please don't just take off like that! I don't want to be left alone on this dump of a planet."

"Calm down. We haven't come across anything thus far that could be a potential threat, so I doubt you would have been in much a poor situation. Besides, I don't think I even left your line of sight."

"Well, yeah, but-"

A sudden rumbling cut the engineer off, and both Saiyans looked up at the rocky edge of the crater they were standing in. A chitinous, fang-filled face stared back down at them hungrily.

"What the hell is _that?!_" Beets shouted in a panic, stumbling backward and falling onto his hind end.

"Keep quiet!" Paragus snapped harshly, reaching for the ray gun strapped to his hip. Aiming it at the insectoid creature peering down at them, he placed his finger over the trigger and prepared to fire a barrage of energy bolts. He didn't want to have to use his own Ki reserves if he could help it. Curiously enough, however, the beast above did little more than growl and hiss at them, even as it was joined by dozens upon dozens of its fellows. It clearly wanted nothing more than to come down and devour them, so why didn't it…?

"Why are they staying up there?"

"I'm sure not complaining!" Beets said, returning to a standing position. "You hear that, you monster? Stay away from us!"

The creatures all hissed in unison, before opening their tooth-filled maws and extending what appeared to be barb-tipped tongues. The pale blue appendages darted forward and sank into the grassy earth, and began to suck up what seemed to be some kind of underground fluid.

"What… what are they doing?"

"I don't know…" Paragus replied tersely, keeping his blaster trained on the first creature that had appeared. "I didn't see any water sources on the way here; maybe these patches of grassland hold the only pockets of water on the planet. It would make sense, given how many of these things have gathered here. One would expect them to be fighting one another for such a valuable resource, but maybe there's actually enough to go around."

"Now isn't the time for a science lesson!" Beets shouted, clearly still quite afraid. "Let's get out of here before they decide we're worth the trouble!"

Nodding, Paragus holstered his weapon and prepared to rise into the air. However, before he could even flex his aura in preparation for takeoff, the ground beneath him and Beets began to shake violently. Whereas the previous rumble heralding the arrival of the insect creatures had been a mild quake at best, this new development nearly had him falling on his ass. Doing his best to balance out, Paragus shot into the air like a rocket, with Beets following almost immediately.

It quickly became apparent that their timing could not have been any better.

The ground they had just been standing on suddenly split open, revealing a _monstrously _large set of teeth. Red eyes soon followed, which were situated in the middle of a distinctly feline face. This new creature, which looked like a mixture between a serpent and a weasel, opened its maw and let out a bellowing roar, which shook everything in the surrounding area. It then lunged forward, sinking its fangs into the edge of the crater and swallowing a mouthful of the insects in the process.

"I see…" Paragus muttered in mild fascination. "The insects feed off of the bodily fluids of the larger creature, but are in turn used as a food source themselves."

"Ugh, this planet is _disgusting,"_ Beets complained, slightly green in the face. "Let's hurry up and find your son so we can get the hell out of here!"

Nodding, Paragus turned away from the scene and flew in an entirely new direction, bringing his scouting scope back up to his eye. His companion was quick to follow. The putrid landscape beneath them didn't change the slightest no matter how far they flew; the only natural formations worth noting were the rocky spires that occasionally rose up into the sky, and the sparse craters that were apparently home to the green-furred alpha predators.

As the two Saiyans continued to fly forward, the sky surrounding them began to grow ever darker. Eventually, all traces of light were gone, save for the menacing moon that shone overhead and the countless stars that accompanied it.

"I… I think I see something!" Beets finally cried out, peering through his own scouter.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes! It looks like some kind of… wait. No… no it can't be!"

"What is it, Beets?" Paragus demanded.

Ignoring his companion completely, Beets blasted forward through the air, while simultaneously descending towards the ground. Narrowing his eyes, Paragus followed. He couldn't imagine what the other man had seen that managed to work him up to such a degree. Raising his scouter back up to his eye, he zoomed in on the direction in which Beets was flying. It took him a minute to spot what the other man was moving towards, but once he did, he felt his stomach drop down into his feet.

"No, no, no, no, no…!" Beets sobbed hysterically, landing on the ground and collapsing to his knees. He beat the earth with a fist, and continued to break down into a fit of inaudible denials.

Paragus landed next to him, and took in the sight before them for a moment before rearing his head back and letting out a rage-filled shout of fury. Their ship was in pieces. Bite marks littered the hull, and the landing equipment was torn off and scattered across the ground several yards away. The main window was cracked, making any kind of survival in the vacuum of space impossible. The thrusters were also mauled beyond repair, which made the idea of takeoff laughable.

"What could have done this?!" Beets cried, tears of panic rolling down his face.

"Isn't it obvious?" Paragus snarled, clenching his fists so tightly that the bones in his hands began to creak and groan in protest. "Those insect creatures must have come across our ship and detected our scent on the inside. They then ripped it apart trying to get to potential prey…"

"We're going to die!"

Given the way things had progressed, that _was _likely what was going to happen. Other than the creatures they had seen thus far, there didn't appear to be any other source of food on the planet, and there _definitely _wasn't any water other than the small amount that had been stored in the ship itself. However, there was one more realization that finally had Paragus collapsing to his knees.

They had made a complete circle around the planet.

They had started from their ship, flown in one continuous direction, and had come across the ship once again from behind. They had flown around the _entirety _of Vampa…

And Broly wasn't anywhere to be found.

* * *

_(Earth Land; Year X764)_

"Keep working!"

A whip cracked hard across Rob's exposed back. The elderly man did his best to hide his pain, even as the weapon's serrated edge cut a violent groove into his skin. Blood was quick to begin flowing, but he knew there was little he could do to dress the wound until work was done for the day. The slave-masters standing guard over him and his fellow prisoners had made it very clear quite some time ago that they didn't care for their captives' well-being or discomfort. Catching his breath, Rob brushed a few long strands of grey hair out of his eyes. Hefting up another large rock, he carried it across the encampment towards the as-of-yet unfinished wall that was being built.

"You see that?" one of the guardsmen chuckled, pointing his magically enhanced spear at the unfortunate man. "That one knows his place. Breaking these bastards is easy, provided you know how to do it."

"Oh, and are you such an expert?" One of the other guards snorted dismissively.

"Course I am! Who do you think taught that old man to mind his manners?"

Letting out a sigh, Rob placed the rock he was carrying into an empty slot in the wall. A bucket of sealant rested at his feet, and he reached down to grasp hold of the trowel next to it to begin the process of securing the piece of stone in place. He had only needed to learn one time that his overseers expected nothing less than absolute perfection. The scar on his temple could attest to that…

Thankfully, it was starting to get dark. Night wasn't the optimal time to be moving around heavy equipment, so the guards allowed most of the prisoners to rest until morning came again. Then, it was straight back to work.

Casting a glance over at the watchmen, Rob noted that they were still heavily engrossed in their discussion. Taking advantage of their brief lapse in supervision, the elderly man gently rested his shoulder against the wall and let out a tired breath. He could feel himself approaching the end of his life, and he was growing more tired with each passing day. However, he couldn't allow himself to succumb to the abyss of death just yet; the youngsters who were imprisoned alongside him still needed someone to help look after them.

He had taken on that responsibility almost as soon as he had arrived in this wretched place, and it was one of the few things that still helped him carry on through each day of work. However, there _was _another additional thought that always brightened his day every time it passed through his mind. Hopefully, some day, he would be able to see his guild mates once again.

Unfortunately, it was becoming increasingly obvious that that would likely only happen in the world that came after this one…

Closing his eyes, Rob sighed once again. "It's a pity, how old I've become…"

At the edge of his senses, a sudden sound reverberated in his ears. It was distant, but growing increasingly louder, and sounder similar to an extraordinarily loud boom. Screams began to echo across the work camp, and Rob opened his eyes to witness everyone collectively turning their gazes skyward. Looking up as well, the old mage's eyes widened as his vision focused on what appeared to be a bright hot ball of fire falling to earth. It was getting closer and closer, and suddenly a horrifying realization suddenly dawned on him.

Rising to his feet, he waved his arms around franticly to catch the attention of the other slaves. "Get out of the way! Move! It's going to crash right on top of us!"

Panic continued to rise across the camp, and both guards and prisoners alike scrambled over one another in a desperate attempt to get to the edge off the island they were confined on. There was no telling whether or not they would be able to survive given the small amount of distance between the center of the island edge, but it was still better than nothing.

Rob scooped a young girl up in his arms, and joined his companions in their attempt to put as much distance between themselves and the point of impact as possible. The fireball continued to fall towards the earth, screaming through the sky and creating an absolutely soul-shaking sound.

"Get down!"

"Move!"

"Faster!"

"Help me!"

The screams and pleas of the people were drowned out as the fireball finally impacted the ground, generating an ear-rattling boom and kicking up and enormous dust cloud. Debris was thrown through the air, and pieces of construction materials were torn form their places and hurled into the surrounding ocean. Clutching the girl in his arms tightly, Rob ducked behind a large slab of stone just as a shockwave rolled by, sending a good number of unfortunate people screaming into the air. The searing heat was almost unbearable, and Rob did his best to shield the child he was holding. Even so, he could feel small burns blooming across his unclothed back and arms.

Suddenly, almost as soon as the chaos began, it was over.

The world went quiet, and the dust slowly began to settle. Opening his eyes, Rob carefully raised his head and looked around. All over the camp, guards and slaves alike were doing their best to pick themselves up off the ground. Some had very obvious broken bones, while others hand managed to get through with only mild burns.

"What the _HELL _is going on?!" a feminine voice called out sharply, commanding the attention of every guard and soldier within earshot. They all desperately rose to their feet to give the approaching woman their full attention.

One armored man stepped forward. "Priestess Erina, we-"

"Shut the hell up! You don't speak unless I address you directly!" the dark-skinned woman snarled, slapping her subordinate across his exposed face. The man cowered away, and Erina huffed, brushing a strand of spiky, bright pink hair behind her ear. "Were we attacked?"

The man swallowed hesitantly, and cautiously rose back up to his full height. "W-We aren't sure, Your Grace. One minute, the slaves were working, and then suddenly a ball of fire was falling from the sky. We don't know where it came from."

"Was it one of the slaves?"

"Highly doubtful, ma'am."

Erina scowled, turning briefly to survey the crowd of emerging workers. Her gaze focused on Rob briefly, but he held his ground firmly. Scoffing, she finally turned to look at the new smoldering crater in the middle of the work camp. "Have you investigated?"

"We just managed to get our bearings, Your Grace…"

"Is that what I asked?! Do you want to be the one to explain to our Lord Zeref why his tower has fallen behind schedule? Get your ass moving!"

Obviously in no hurry to incur any more of his mistress' wrath, the guard hurriedly beckoned to several of his fellow soldiers. As a group, they raised their weapons and slowly approached the smoking crater. The edge was still glowing red-hot, but their magically-enhanced boots managed to protect their feet from getting burned. Sliding into the hole, they continued to edge towards the circular object situated in the middle of the crater.

Breaking his gaze from what was unfolding, Rob looked to see that all of his fellow slaves were carefully gathering around to bear witness to what had nearly flattened them. He then turned back to inspect the sphere as well, which, curiously enough, had a sizable dent in its side.

"What is it?" Erina called out in clear irritation.

The main guard poked the metallic sphere with the edge of his spear. When it did nothing, he turned to address his superior. "It appears to be some kind of orb, ma'am. It looks to be mechanical in design as well; it shouldn't be too much trouble for us to open it up and find out what's insi-"

Suddenly, and without warning, the sphere released a pressurized hiss and let out a cloud of hot steam. The guards backed away frantically, and the slaves who had gathered at the edge of the pit also scrambled away in surprise. Part of the sphere slowly began to raise away from the rest of the main shape, revealing a small compartment housed within. And, much to the surprise of everyone present, a small infant lay sleeping in the aforementioned compartment.

"It's… a baby…?

"A baby?"

"What the heck is a baby doing in that thing?"

"_SILENCE!" _Erina shouted, silencing all of the murmurs that had begun to break out. "You idiots, don't you understand what this is?" When only silence answered her inquiry, she rolled her crimson eyes and continued to speak. "This child is obviously the answer to our prayers! I implored Lord Zeref to provide us with a tool to assist us in constructing the tower; it cannot be a coincidence that this child simply appeared less than a day later."

One of the guards coughed meaningfully. "Ma'am… do you _really _think that a baby can help us build the tower…?"

Raising a single hand, Erina released a bolt of bright blue magic energy and disintegrated the man who had been foolish enough to question her. "Fools. Given the proper care, a baby can mature into a strong adult. Bring the child to me!"

Hesitantly, another armored man reached into the open pod and pulled the infant into his arms. The child, which had a surprisingly full head of hair for someone his age, squirmed in obvious discomfort and began to scream. As soon as he did so, nearly every magic device in the immediate area glowed brightly before exploding in a shower of sparks.

"You see!" Erina smiled gleefully, holding out her arms to accept the crying boy as her subordinate handed him off. "Only a child, and yet already powerful enough to overload our magic spears with a mere scream. You will grow up to be a devastating servant of Zeref, won't you boy?"

The infant only proceeded to scream louder.

"Now then, who among you has any experience raising children?"

Silence answered her.

"Oh, come now! Surely one of you will be willing to take care of this child? My responsibilities as priestess prevent me from having the adequate time to devote to looking after an infant. I command that one of you step forward!"

None of the guardsmen did as they were instructed.

"I will do it."

Erina blinked, turning towards the group of slaves behind her. Setting down the girl he'd been holding, Rob gently maneuvered to the front of the crowd and straightened his posture. "I will look after the boy," he repeated firmly.

"_You?" _Erina snorted. "You are an old man nearing the end of your life. Why in the name of Zeref would I ever entrust the care of such a small child to you? Besides, you are nothing but a slave."

"Who better to raise him, My Lady?" Rob replied casually, picking his words carefully. It would be unacceptable for him to allow such a young and innocent soul to be raised by such horrible people, and he was more than willing to do the job himself. What better way to give his life focus than by directing a new one in the right direction? "If you were to give the boy to one of your guards, they would have to devote more time to him instead of keeping an eye on us workers. You wouldn't want that, would you? As you mentioned before, the construction process needs to maintain a steady pace."

Erina still looked quite skeptical, but he could see that she was beginning to give the idea some genuine thought.

"Besides, if the child is one day meant to assist in the construction of your glorious tower, then would it not be best for an older, more experienced worker to instruct him on how to behave properly? As you said, he seems to be quite powerful; you wouldn't want him to grow up thinking he could challenge you, eh?"

The pink-haired priestess hummed lowly, before once again locking her gaze on Rob. "Step forward, slave."

He did as he was instructed.

"What is your name, old man?"

"I am called Rob, My Lady."

"Well then, Rob, I hereby entrust the care of this child to you. You will be the one who receives punishment if he is not properly raised. Is that clear?"

"Of course, ma'am."

Nodding in satisfaction, Erina raised her arms to hand the infant off to his new guardian. Almost as soon as he was in Rob's arms, the baby ceased crying and fell into what seemed to be quite the peaceful sleep. The elderly man chuckled quietly, and began to rock his new charge back and forth with a heavily practiced gentleness.

"You must give him a name, old man," Erina said. Her voice was tinged with irritation, and it was quite obvious that she was envious that she was unable to hold the sleeping boy without making him cry. "What will you call him?"

Turning away slightly, Rob cast a brief glance at the machine the baby had arrived in. A five-letter word was painted in medium-sized green text on the craft's side, and although it was a word he had never heard or seen before, it seemed oddly fitting the more he thought about it.

"Broly. His name is Broly."

* * *

_(One year later; Year X765)_

Even as the days continued to pass, she could hardly believe it.

She was human again.

She had long-since abandoned any hope of returning to her natural form, but a chance encounter in the forest with a certain dark wizard had turned her life around. Unfortunately, as she understood it, her anatomy was still that of a dragon, but her physical appearance had been cast with a charm to _appear _human.

It didn't exactly equate to actually _being _human again, but Irene certainly wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. Of course, almost as soon as she'd returned to her human form, the swell in her belly had begun to expand rapidly. It seemed as though the centuries upon centuries of being in her draconian form were finally catching up with her. In other words, her baby was more than ready to come out. It finally happened one day while she was kneeling by a pristine lake, examining her unkempt scarlet hair. The contractions had come out of nowhere, and it didn't take her long to realize that she would be giving birth _very _soon. That guess was proven correct after several hours of excruciating labor, and the new life that had been housed within her for the better part of three-hundred-years finally emerged.

Finally, she could enact her plan to _truly _regain her humanity…

Her newborn daughter slept peacefully, wrapped in a rose-colored blanket which was laid against the side of a log. Irene cleared her mind, making certain that she had memorized the exact wording that the spell she was about to preform required. If she misspoke in any small way, the results could end up being catastrophically different than what she wanted. If all went according to plan, though, she would be able to switch souls with her daughter, thereby inhabiting her purely human body.

Grinning madly, Irene looked down at herself in the crystal-clear water of the stream she was currently knelt by. Running a hand through her hair, she bit out a snarl and grabbed an angry fistful of the scarlet tresses. "Look at this. This mockery of flesh. Zeref, you're taunting me, aren't you? You say that I'm essentially human, but what I truly want is still out of reach. No longer, though…"

Looking over her shoulder, the former queen rose to her feet and approached her sleeping daughter. Now that she was certain she knew what she was doing, all it would take would be a simple incantation, and she would be human again. True, she would have to grow into an adult over the course of several decades, but that was a price she was completely willing to pay. Raising a hand and summoning a magic circle, Irene opened her mouth and prepared to speak the words that would restore her.

However, as she looked down at her newborn child, those words died in her throat.

"Don't… don't you do that…"

Her daughter shifted slightly in her sleep, cooing softly.

"Stop it!" Irene fell to her knees, feeling the beginnings of tears welling up in her eyes. "Don't smile at me like that!"

The infant merely continued to smile, all the while sleeping peacefully and completely ignorant of the world around her.

Choking out a broken sob, Irene scooted forward and lifted the girl into her arms. What in the name of the gods was _wrong _with her?! Was she truly willing to condemn the life of an innocent all for the sake of her own personal wishes and desires? Had her mind truly slipped far enough to reflect the monster she had been for the past few hundred years?

She had always prided herself on her ability to think and act rationally, even while cursed in her dragon form. However, it seemed as though her obsessive desire to regain her humanity had finally pushed her to the threshold of doing something unforgivably horrific.

She…she had been about burden her own _daughter _with her curse…

Her little girl.

Her baby.

The little one she had sworn to love and protect while she was tormented and humiliated for three straight years in her former husband's dungeons.

Breaking down completely, Irene pressed the crown of her daughter's head against her left cheek and continued to sob violently. She could feel the whispers coming back, doing their best to regain control of her mind. They tried to tell her that her continued survival was more important than that some nameless child, who hadn't even begun to truly live yet.

It only made her cry harder.

She knew it would only be a matter of time before her mind was corrupted again by such monstrous thoughts. Before that happened, she needed to ensure her daughter would be safe… especially from herself…

Rising shakily to her feet, Irene cradled her newborn against her chest and stumbled out of the meadow she'd set up camp in. There was a gravel road nearby, and if she remembered correctly, it led to a town that was a relatively short distance away by foot. After a brief walk through a patch of trees, she found the road and began to walk in the direction of the settlement.

She passed several people along the way, all of whom did their best to ignore her despite her pleas for help.

Was it because of her wild appearance? Either way, such things didn't matter. She wouldn't stop until she found someone who _was _willing to look after her daughter in her stead.

Before long, as she reached the crest of a hill, her line of sight was greeted by the vast expanse of the ocean. And, settled between a few more hills by the shoreline, was a humble little village. It wasn't grand by any means, but it likely had warm beds and the appropriate necessities to care for her daughter. Carefully, Irene continued to walk down the hill towards the town. She paused here and there to fight back the dark voices in her head, but otherwise pushed on determinedly. As she got closer and closer, she was finally able to make out the lettering on a sign that was positioned on the right side of the road.

'_Welcome to Rosemary Village.'_

* * *

**First chapter isn't very eventful.**

**Of course, I hope that is somewhat understandable given that it is merely meant to set the stage of what's to come. **

**So, some of you might be asking: "Why didn't Broly's pod land on Vampa, like it was supposed to?" Well, I provided a little hint in the scene where he crashed on Earth Land, but there weren't any really specific details, so I understand if you were unable to catch the aforementioned hint. HIs pod was clipped by a tiny asteroid, which in turn created the dent Rob saw on the hull of the ship. The impact also damaged the pod's navigational system, which is why he ended up on Earth Land instead of Vampa. I would have described that scene in detail in the actual story itself, but I hate writing scenes that aren't from a specific character's point of view.**

**Besides, it isn't like Broly himself would have been able to recognize what was going on in his surroundings. He's still only a small boi.**

**And yes, I realize having Broly's name painted on the side of his pod might seem like kind of a lazy way to make sure he kept the same name on Earth Land, but I honestly couldn't think of any other way to do it without having someone else arrive alongside him to inform the local inhabitants. And I didn't want to do that. If you genuinely need a reason why his name was painted on the pod, then you can simply go with the idea that all Saiyan warriors have their pods labeled whenever they are sent off world. Technically speaking, this would actually help the military officials back on Planet Vegeta keep track of who is where. I know such a concept isn't canon, but let's just assume it is for the sake of this story. This **_**is **_**a fanfiction, after all.**

**I know it might not make sense for them to do this with Broly, considering he was doomed to a life of exile, but its whatever. Such a small detail won't have any future impact on the rest of the story.**

**Anyway, those of you who are **_**Fairy Tail **_**fans are likely already familiar with who Rob is. He wasn't really mentioned in any great detail other than in the first season, but he was the man who took it upon himself to look after Erza during their shared time together on the island where the Tower of Heaven is located. And yes, given that Rob is now Broly's guardian, it will only be a matter of time before Broly and Erza encounter one another.**

**Will they get along?**

**Will they get into a fight?**

**How will the guards keep Broly under control?**

**How will Rob learn that it's a bad idea to let Broly look at the full moon?**

**Find out next time in the next exciting installment of **_**"The Legend of Earth Land!"**_

**P.S. Yes, I plan on continuing **_**"Bloodstained Souls" **_**and **_**"Fibers of the Universe" **_**as soon as possible. However, I will only be doing so after I manage to get out a second chapter for this new story. As some of you probably already know, I like to give my new stories more than a single chapter to start out with. It just gives potential readers more to get interested in.**

**Thanks for reading!**

**AlucardsBro OUT!**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Newcomer

* * *

**Second chapter!**

**As I said, I will be publishing this additional chapter before returning to any of my other stories. Thankfully, my writing process seems to be returning to me, and it is getting progressively easier for me to formulate ideas the more I write. So, yeah, I'll hopefully be able to keep going as soon as this chapter is uploaded.**

**I'm writing this the exact same day I published the first chapter, so understandably, reviews have been few and far between. Thankfully, however, the reviews that I **_**have **_**already received have been nothing but positive. I'm glad you guys seem interested in this story, and I hope it continues to entertain you. :)**

**So yeah, there will be a few more familiar faces introduced in this chapter. Given that Broly is still on the island of the Tower of Heaven, you can probably already guess who those faces will belong to.**

**Kitty Cat.**

**Iron Jaw.**

**Card Boy.**

**Block Head.**

**Tattoo Face.**

**And, last but certainly not least, Strawberry Lover.**

**Oh, and for those of you who don't know, I absolutely **_**despise **_**Jellal. I won't let my opinion of him effect the way I write his character, but I have never managed to force myself to like him. He's a bad boy. Me no likey…**

**Oh, and while I'm thinking about it, I'd like to formally welcome Johnny Yong Bosch to the **_**Dragon Ball **_**family!****I've met the guy in person, and I know he will do a great job as Broly's new English voice actor.**

**Anyway, on with the story!**

**AlucardsBro OUT!**

* * *

_(Earth Land; Year X773)_

His gaze remained fixed on the endless expanse of the ocean.

The waves continued to lap steadily against the shore of the island, and he idly picked up a small pebble to throw into the water. It made a small 'plink' as it broke the surface, and his gaze followed it until it sank beyond his line of sight. When he could no longer see it, he turned his eyes back towards the horizon, where the sea met the sky.

What lay beyond that horizon?

Grandpa had often told him stories of the world beyond their little island home. A world filled with magic, wizards, and magical guilds who helped protect their fellow man. It sounded amazing! How desperately he wished he could fly away and see that wonderful world with his own eyes. But, unfortunately, according to Miss Erina, that was not his destiny…

His destiny was to help Lord Zeref reclaim the world.

He didn't want that, though. He wanted to become a wizard. He wanted to help people. Grandpa Rob had always told him that magic was a gift, and to use it for any other purpose than to help others was a gross misuse of power. And he knew he was strong. At least, he knew he was _much _stronger than all of the other children his age on the island. He didn't know if it was thanks to some kind of magic, but he could lift enormous boulders and concrete support beams like it was a piece of cake.

Miss Erina always told him that his strength was a gift from Zeref, but he wasn't really sure if he believed that. He wasn't sure why he was so strong, but it was at least fun to show off in front of his friends.

"Broly, what are you doing over here?"

The sudden voice snapped the nine-year-old from his thoughts, and he turned to see Grandpa Rob slowly approaching him. The older man had his hands clasped behind his back, and wore the same kind smile that almost always adorned his face. "I was just thinking…"

"Oh? And what might you have been thinking about?"

"…"

"Come now, Broly, you can tell me."

"I… I was thinking about the guilds you told me about."

"Ah. I can't say I blame you for that. Guilds are such wonderful things, provided the people who run them do so responsibly."

"Can you tell me about your guild again?" Broly pleaded, rising to his feet and swishing his tail behind him excitedly. "Please? _Pleeeeease?_"

Chuckling, Rob reached up to run a hand through his beard. "I suppose we do have a little bit of time before work starts for the day, eh? Very well then. Let me tell you about Fairy Tail…"

Broly scooted closer, smiling widely. Gently grasping his grandfather by the arm, he helped the older man sit down on a large rock so he could begin to tell the story.

"Let's see now, what to talk about? Fairy Tail is a wonderful place, filled with guild mates who look after one another and treat each other like family. Oh, even back in my day they were a rowdy bunch, but they still loved one another with a fierce intensity, and not a single one of us would hesitate to jump to the defense of our friends. Though I must admit, the Magic Council was never very fond of our antics…"

Pausing, Rob tilted his head back and released a fond laugh. It was the most genuine laugh Broly had seen him produce in quite some time. It had long-since become obvious that any time his grandpa talked about his his old life in Fairy Tail, his youth seemed to return to him in spades. More life came back into his eyes, and the wrinkles on his skin appeared to melt away. He really seemed alive, in times like these.

"Do you think I can become a Fairy Tail wizard some day?"

Looking down at his adopted grandson, Rob's already wide smile seemed to grown even more so. Placing a hand atop the young boy's head, he ruffled his spiky head of jet-black hair. "I don't see why not. If I know old Makarov as well as I'm sure I do, I know he would be more than happy to accept you into the Fairy Tail family."

Broly's own smile grew even further as well, threatening to slit his face. His tail continued to swath through the air rapidly, as thoughts of life in an actual guild filled his head. No more scrounging for the scraps that the guardsmen barely provided. No more sleeping on the hard, unforgiving earth. No more constant fear of having the magic collar around his neck pumping his body full of electricity. If he became part of Fairy Tail, life would undoubtedly get better, right?

It had to!

Rob's stories gave him hope, which was something that was severely lacking amongst the slave population on the island. Hope that one day, maybe not tomorrow, or even the next day, but one day he might be able to make a better life for himself as a real wizard. And when he became a wizard, Broly promised himself that he would never let anyone suffer like he and his grandfather had ever again.

"Oh, would you look at that," Rob suddenly spoke up, looking up at the sky and raising a hand to block the sunlight. "It looks like it's time for us to head on over to work, my boy."

Broly's smile melted into a disappointed frown as he was wrenched from the realm of possibility and violently pulled back into the disappointment of reality. Looking out at the sun, which continued to rise into the sky, he fixed it with a positively _fierce _glare, doing his best to will it back below the horizon.

No such luck…

"Come now, Broly. You know that Miss Erina will get upset if we're late."

"I don't care! I hate her!"

Rob shook his head. "Your anger is understandable, but you shouldn't feel that way…"

"Why not, grandpa?! Stupid Lady Erina and her stupid soldiers are why our lives are so bad! Why shouldn't I hate her?"

"You might not understand this now, but I'm going to give you a piece of advice that I hope you'll learn to take to heart one day. Are you paying attention?"

Broly's lip curled, but he nodded grudgingly nonetheless.

Rob smiled softly, closing his eyes as he rested his hands in his lap. "Hate is a powerful emotion. It can give us strength in times of dire circumstance, and that is not always a bad thing. However, if we let ourselves become dominated by hate, then it leads us to becoming unable to lead full and meaningful lives. Tell me this… would you rather feel angry all of the time and have no way of fixing it, or would you rather enjoy the time you spend with your friends? Hm?"

"I…I…"

"Hmmmm?"

"I want to be happy with my friends…"

"You see? Do you feel better?"

Broly frowned. _Did _he feel any better? His anger towards Erina and her men made his chest feel tight and uncomfortable, but thinking about the fun times he'd had with his friends made that sensation slowly go away. Admittedly, there wasn't really a lot of fun to be had on the island, what with everyone being forced to work all throughout the day until sunset. However, Broly couldn't help but smile at the simple memories of the conversations he'd held with the other children his age. Life on the island was inarguably hard, but his friends helped make it bearable.

"I'll take that as a yes," Rob chuckled, smiling knowingly. "You know, I've been on this island for _thirty years, _and there were times when I truly used to think about giving up."

"Why didn't you?" Broly asked.

"Because, I know that I still need to live for the sake of you and the others. If I were to give up, who would make sure you little ones would stay out of trouble?" Gently pushing himself back up into a standing position, Rob took his grandson by the hand and led him back towards the main encampment. "In my experience, the best way to move past the desire to get angry or give up is to think of those who would be sad if you decided to do so. You wouldn't want to make your friends sad, now would you?"

"No! Never!"

"I thought not. Broly, you are truly a kindhearted boy, and rage is not an emotion that befits you. All I ask is that you try to live your life happily, and look for the good in the world around you. Do you think you can do that for me?"

The nine-year-old furrowed his brow, thinking hard. After a moment, he looked back up at his adoptive grandfather and nodded. "I'll try."

"Good lad," Rob smiled, patting him on the back. "Now, why don't you go find your friends and give them a helping hand. I'm sure they would love to have your assistance."

"What about you?"

"Oh, don't you worry about me. I may be old, but I'm still a strong old geezer!"

Broly laughed at the comment, before turning away and closing his eyes. He didn't know if it was part of some latent magical abilities, but he'd always had a natural gift for finding people when he couldn't even see them. He could just… _feel _them. Every single person on the island had a unique sense to them; Erina was fiery, yet cold at the same time. Her guards were somewhat similar, but they were mostly cold, though all in different ways. Rob was warm and kind.

However, out of everyone on the island, there was one person in particular who was _always _easy to find.

Millianna was bright and sunny, and she shone brilliantly against the rest of the slaves. It never took him long to find her.

Looking over his shoulder to wave at his grandpa one more time, Broly took off through the camp. Weaving between groups of guards and half-constructed walls of brick and stone, it didn't take him very long to come across his group of four friends. They were all already busy carrying construction materials back and forth, and thus didn't immediately notice his arrival.

"Hey guys!"

Wally and Shô instantly looked over, giving him wide smiles.

Jellal, ever the one to try and play it cool, merely offered him a grin.

Millianna, on the other hand…

"BROOOOOOOOLY!"

The nine-year-old was completely caught off guard as a missile in the shape of his younger friend slammed directly into his stomach. It didn't really hurt, but the force behind her propulsion still sent him skidding back a few inches. Her arms wrapped around his midsection, and Millianna laughed loudly as Broly attempted to secure his footing.

"What the heck are you doing?" he asked, doing his best to sound irritated. In truth though, it was extraordinarily hard for anyone in their friend group to remain angry with their only female member for very long.

Evidently, Millianna saw right through his faux-anger, as she only continued to laugh loudly. "Giving you a hug, silly! What's it look like?"

"Well cut it out! You're embarrassing me!"

"Huh? Why you gotta be so mean?"

Broly grimaced slightly, turning red as Wally, Jellal, and Shô laughed unashamedly at the blatant display of affection. Knowing he wouldn't be going anywhere until Millianna got her way, he begrudgingly bent down as best he could given his current position and returned her hug. She meowed loudly like a cat, and with extreme exaggeration, which in turn caused his face to turn even redder.

"See! That wasn't so hard, huh?" she asked innocently, grinning at her small victory.

"Whatever…" he grumbled.

"Hey! What the hell do you think you brats are doing?"

The group of five froze immediately, and turned as one to look up at the trio of guards who had managed to sneak up on them without their knowing. The man in front hefted up his magic spear, with crackled with power menacingly. "You'd better get back to work if you know what's good for you!"

Millianna trembled violently, letting go of Broly and unsubtly hiding behind him.

Wally and Shô took involuntary steps back, fear plainly etched onto their features.

Only Broly and Jellal stood firm.

Neither of them wanted to face the punishment they knew would come if the defied their supervisors, but it wouldn't do them any good to just fold over in fear, either. Jellal sneered, and opened his mouth to offer up a retort. Noticing this, Broly quickly beat him to it.

"We're sorry, sir… it won't happen again."

The guardsman snorted, stopping the flow of magic pulsing into his weapon. "It'd better not, you little freak. You may be Lady Erina's favorite, but don't think for second that you get a free pass."

To emphasize the point, Broly's collar let out a quick series of beeps before alighting with electric-blue energy. The nine-year-old let out an agonized scream of pain, his mind going blank as the searing hot energy permeated every single fiber of his being. At the back of his mind, he had enough sense to force himself to stagger away from Millianna, sparing her from sharing his torture.

"Stop it!" Jellal shouted furiously, though there was an underlying tone of panic in his voice. "You're gonna kill him!"

"Shut up, you little runt!" the main guard snarled back. "Your friend is a lot tougher than the rest of you. This is the only way to put him in his place."

As suddenly as it began, Broly's punishment ended. His collar returned to its inactive state, and he collapsed to the rocky ground. Smoke curled off of his body, and his hair was severely charred in several patches. His skin, however, miraculously remained free of burns.

Millianna and Shô were as his side immediately, sobbing uncontrollably and fussing over him.

It hurt to breathe slightly, but he was still fully conscious. Small remnants of pain lingered, and he twitched involuntarily as he tried to sit up. A small pair of hands quickly found his chest, and he was gingerly pushed back down.

"Don't hurt yourself…" Millianna chided, though her admonishing words were somewhat ruined by the hiccup in her voice.

The guards laughed loudly amongst themselves, and were already in the process of moving away. Jellal tried to go after them, but Wally quickly wrapped his arms around the blue-haired boy's torso and held him back, albeit with some visible difficulty. Watching the scene, Broly closed his eyes and willed himself to relax. Doing so usually helped the pain go away much faster after incidents such as these. They didn't happen as frequently as they used to, but that was due in part to the fact that he could indeed handle quite a bit of pain. It hadn't been until a few years ago that the guards had finally found the right level of voltage that could effectively reign him in whenever he misbehaved.

He had still rebelled a few times afterwards, but that had stopped when the guards had started punishing his friends in his place. Wally still had an ugly scar across his back that Broly would never forgive himself for…

Exhaling deeply, he carefully pushed himself up into a sitting position to inspect himself. Millianna and Shô protested the action vehemently, but he ignored them in favor of frowning at the fresh holes that had been burned into his sleeveless brown shirt. Clothing was hard to come by for slaves, and he had owned this particular shirt for several years. It was starting to get a bit tight, though… maybe it _was _time for a change in attire.

Gripping the fabric, he roughly tore the article of clothing from his upper body. His grey pants were staying, though. No amount of burns or tears would _ever_ make him forgo covering his lower half…

Sighing as he reflected upon his ruined morning, he quickly offered his friends a reassuring smile.

Shô frowned, prying the ruined shirt from his fingers. "Why did you do that?"

"It was old, anyway. I need a new one."

"Are you okay?" Millianna inquired worriedly, lower lip trembling.

"I'm fine," he assured her, giving a thumbs up as he continued to smile.

Jellal was as far from placated as possible. "Why didn't you fight back?! You can totally take those bastards!"

"Jellal…" Wally began reproachfully, placing a hand on the blue-haired boy's shoulder.

"No! Broly, you're strong enough to lift boulders above your head and punch through concrete without breaking a sweat. Why don't you help us take these guys out?!"

"Grandpa Rob told me to never kill anyone…" he replied, frowning.

"So what?!" Jellal hissed venomously. His dark brown eyes swam with anger, and his pupils shrank down into pinpricks as his rage visibly increased with each passing second. "You may have been born here, but the rest of us were taken from our families! If we all worked together, we could take down all of the guards and go back home!"

"You mean just like the last time…?"

Jellal tensed.

Broly's expression grew flat. "You remember, right? Last time you guys tried to escape, you got caught before you could even get to the boats. And do you remember what Miss Erina did when she found out?"

"I…"

"She killed a random prisoner to teach us all a lesson. Do you want that to happen again?"

"No!" Jellal replied, eyes going wide. "I wouldn't… I never wanted to…"

Wincing minutely, Broly pushed himself to his feet and stepped over to his friend. "I know you wanna go home… this is all I've ever known, but I want to leave to. But if we're ever gonna escape, we need to be smart about it. I don't want any more people to get hurt if we mess things up."

"Y-You're right. I'm sorry…"

Broly shook his head, before bending down to pick up a shovel.

"Don't worry about it. Let's just get back to work."

* * *

Things would change.

He wasn't sure when or how, but Rob had a very distinct feeling that things were going to get better one day. It could very well be after his time in this world was over, but if the kids could have a chance at a better life, then he was content with that. With a bit of effort, he raised his pickaxe once again and continued digging the hole he'd been working on for the past hour and a half.

"Hello, old man."

His tool cracked into the earth, and Rob turned to face the woman who had spoken. Erina had received a few more wrinkles around her eyes as the years had passed, but she was still easily the most powerful person on the island.

Well, _officially _anyway…

Bowing respectfully, Rob dropped his pickaxe to give the priestess his full attention. "Good afternoon, Lady Erina. What can I do for you?"

"Nothing much," the pink-haired woman replied, idly kicking at a pebble with the toe of her left boot. "I simply decided to come and find you after hearing a bit of unfortunate news. Your boy received punishment today. This marks the first time in a while that this has happened."

"I see…"

Broly's control collar had been crafted nearly seven years ago, when the boy had only been a mere two-years-old. However, despite the fact that Rob despised the contraption, he somewhat understood its existence. There had been an incident, when the whole of the island had discovered how poor of an idea it was to expose Broly to the light of the full moon…

He had become a monster.

An enormous, ape-like creature with brown fur and razor-sharp teeth. He'd been able to fire beams of what could only been classified as magical power from his mouth and hands in the form of bright emerald energy. But that didn't even compare to his pure physical strength. He'd been able to rip through concrete, stone, and steel with nothing but a wave of his enormous fists. Even magically reinforced sections of the building had crumbled under his might, and his aimless rampage had continued well into the night until the sun finally reemerged.

_Many _guardsmen had died that night, and nearly all of the tower had been destroyed. The only reason most of the prisoners had survived was because of the underground bunkers and jail cells beneath the island. None of them had been in any shape or position to fight, and had thus retreated to what everyone had hoped was a safe distance. The guards, however, had been forced by Erina herself to try and contain Broly's unimaginably savage power.

They had failed miserably.

It was because of this that the collar had been crafted. Broly was still kept indoors during nights where the full moon was out, but the collar still allowed the guards to control him more easily whenever he tried to ignore their commands.

After that fateful day, it had taken the slaves seven years to rebuild what he had demolished. Many still hated him for that fact, even though it had long-since become apparent that the boy had no memory of what had happened. Still, Rob highly doubted he would _ever _forget that thunderous roar for as long as he lived.

"You understand my concern, correct? I can't have Broly acting out at this stage in his growth if he is to become a proper tool for Lord Zeref." Erina crossed her arms over her chest, fixing Rob with an expectant and warning gaze.

He merely nodded in response. "I can assure you that the boy won't be any trouble. I'm sure that whatever happened was just a misunderstanding."

"For your sake, I sincerely hope so." The priestess of Zeref issued one final glare, before turning around and walking away through the labyrinth of unfinished stone walls.

Rob sighed, letting out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He sincerely hoped that what he'd said was true, and that Broly hadn't actually done anything warranting a punishment. It was no secret that Erina's guards hated the child for what he'd unintentionally done to their deceased comrades, and with that being the case, it wouldn't really come as a surprise if they'd simply tortured him for no reason. He wished there was something he could do to stop such a thing from happening, but his interference would likely only result in more punishment for his adopted grandson.

Turning his gaze to the sky, Rob noted that it was nearly time for the daily meal. If one could call it that, of course. The guards received some of the best food the mainland had to offer, while the slaves were forced to nourish themselves off of whatever scraps remained. Still though, he wasn't about to complain. Food was food, and he'd learned a long time ago not to turn his nose up at the opportunity to eat.

Dusting his hands off and climbing out of the hole he'd been digging, Rob prepared to track down Broly and question him about what had happened.

However, a sudden loud ringing stopped him in his tracks. Turning gaze to the bell tower, the former Fairy Tail mage frowned upon seeing that someone was indeed ringing the large golden bell hanging at the very top. When the bell rang, it meant that a new shipment of prisoners would be arriving shortly. Instead of returning to his search for his grandson, Rob elected to switch directions and began to head down towards to docks. Before he'd been imprisoned on the island, he had become well acquainted with several individuals who lived in the various villages that bordered the coastline.

Considering that area was where many of the slaving raids took place, he figured he might as well go and see if any of the new prisoners were people he knew.

By the time he reached the shoreline, the large cargo ship holding the new batch of slaves was in the process of being secured to the main dock. Guards bustled back and forth hurriedly, with some tying down ropes thrown down from the ship while others wheeled in the ramp that would those on board to depart the vessel. Erina was already present as well, undoubtedly in order to gauge the usefulness of her newest batch of unwilling workers.

Sitting on a small rock, Rob breathed out a sad sigh as the aforementioned prisoners were hurriedly ushered off of the boat, down the dock, and onto the island itself. Men and women alike made up the majority of the group, but much to his displeasure, he saw a few small children among them as well. How despicable it was, that such young innocents were wrenched away from their homes and families in order to work on Erina's monument to Zeref. Children should be allowed to live their lives in peace and happiness. The world could be so cruel, and to be expose to such cruelty as such a young age was a heartbreaking thing to witness. Fortunately, though, there weren't many children on the island to begin with; Broly's little group of friends consisted of the main collection of children that had been brought here.

As the newest slaves were led further into the main camp, a bright flash of color caught Rob's attention. Squinting slightly, he was able to quickly train his eyes upon a young girl with a truly colorful head of scarlet hair. She walked next to a dark-haired boy who appeared to be only but a few years older than herself, and the both of them wore expressions of outright terror.

He couldn't blame them, considering the guards watching over them were continuously cracking their magical energy whips as an intimidation display.

Shaking his head, Rob made a mental note to find them both later and make them feel less alone. The island could truly be a horrifying place for new arrivals, but the experience was made slightly more bearable when it became apparent that there were people they could rely on.

With a slight grunt, Rob gingerly rose to his feet and turned away just as Erina began giving her 'welcome speech' to the newcomers.

Dinner would be served at any minute now, and he and Broly always made sure to eat together.

Hopefully, the boy hadn't gotten into any more trouble.

* * *

_(Several Hours Later)_

"Are you sure you're okay?"

Opening his eyes, Broly turned to meet Millianna's worried gaze. Ever since the incident this morning, she had positively _refused _to leave his side. Shô had been no better, but the little blond boy had thankfully fallen asleep several minutes ago.

"I'm fine, Milli. I promise," he replied, smiling for the sake of her concern. In truth, his muscles still stung slightly, but it wasn't anything he couldn't just do his best to ignore. He'd been through far worse in the past nine years.

"If you say so…"

"Leave him alone, Millianna," Wally spoke up. His tone sounded frustrated, but there was still a genuine smile adorning his face. "Broly is a tough guy; if he says he's fine, then he's fine, ya dig?"

Broly furrowed his brow at the odd speech pattern. "Why are you talking like that?"

Wally's eyes widened slightly, before his face turned a light shade of red. "I-I…uh…"

His response was suddenly cut short, however, as the door to their cell was roughly opened by a pair of armed guards. The holding cells for the prisoners were situated in circular formations on each individual level of the tower, with six cells being on each level. The cells themselves were actually fairly large, having been carved directly into the rock, and were big enough to house dozens of people.

"Alright, listen up!" one of the guards shouted, while the other ushered a group of people forward and into the holding cell. Much to Broly's surprise, Grandpa Rob was among the collection of otherwise unrecognizable faces. "These are all new recruits who just arrived here this afternoon. You'd all better make sure they learn how things work around here real fast, or you'll _all _be held accountable for their failure! Understand?"

Once all of the newcomers were inside the cell, the two guards slammed the barred door closed and used their magic spears to secure it in place. If anyone within dared to try and escape or fiddle with the locking mechanism, then every guard on the island would be instantly notified. And no one wanted that…

"Grandpa Rob!" Jellal shouted, waving an arm in the air to catch the older man's attention. "Over here!"

Rob was quick to notice them, and smiled brightly upon making eye contact with Broly. However, to the nine-year-old's continued surprise, as the elder Fairy Tail mage broke away from the group of new prisoners, he ushered along two unfamiliar children as well. One of them was a fairly tan-skinned boy, who looked to be roughly his own age, while the other was a pale girl who had a bright head of colorful red hair.

"Hello kids, I see you're doing well."

"Grandpa, who are they?" Millianna inquired curiously, unabashedly staring at the two newcomers. The redhead squirmed in obvious discomfort at the attention.

Rob chuckled, and placed his hands atop the strangers' heads. "Well, as you likely already know, these two are new here. I figured it would only be right of us to make them feel more comfortable and welcome. Why don't you all go ahead and introduce yourselves?"

Never the one to pass up an opportunity to make new friends, Millianna immediately perked up and stepped away from Broly to grasp the hands of the new children, who both blinked in surprise at her unexpected forwardness. "Hi there, it's nice to meet you! My name is Millianna, but you can call me Milli!"

"O-Oh, hello…" the dark-haired boy responded.

"H-Hi…" the redhead said shyly.

Rob merely continued to smile as he watched the exchange of pleasantries.

Standing up from where he had been sitting on the rocky floor, Wally put on his best grin and rested his hands on his hips. "Hey there, the name is Wally Buchanan. Sounds pretty dandy, doesn't it?"

"Huh?"

"Dandy…?"

Wally deflated considerably, having obviously been expecting a much more enthusiastic reaction. Jellal snickered, standing up as well to greet the newcomers. "Don't mind him, he just thinks he's a lot cooler than he actually is."

"Hey!"

"Anyway, my name is Jellal Fernandes. Good to meet you guys."

The new boy smiled at the small bit of humor, while the red-haired girl only stared silently at Jellal, cheeks tinged with a light shade of pink. Broly snorted audibly, which inadvertently brought the attention of everyone present straight to him.

"Well, my boy?" Rob encouraged him gently. "Aren't you going to introduce yourself too?"

Uncurling his tail from around his waist, Broly finally stood up and folded his arms over his bare chest. "My name is Broly. I don't have a last name…"

His grandfather raised a single brow expectantly.

"And… and it's nice to meet you both. I hope we can be friends."

Smiling brightly, Rob clapped his hands. "See now? Doesn't it just make your day to forge new potential bonds of friendship? Why don't the two of you introduce yourselves now?"

Rubbing the back of his neck in clear embarrassment, the new dark-haired boy stepped forward and raised his other hand in an awkward greeting. "H-Hello there, I'm Simon Mikazuchi. Thank you for being nice to us."

"Hi!"

"Nice to meet ya."

"Don't mention it."

"Hm."

Rob frowned at Broly's noncommittal reply, and sent him a look that let him know they would be discussing his lack of manners at a later time. However, it only lasted for a moment, and the elderly Fairy Tail mage quickly turned his attention down to the red-haired girl who was clutching timidly at the cloth of his trousers. "Don't be afraid my dear, they won't hurt you. Won't you please tell everyone your name?"

Though it was evident that the girl was reluctant to actually do so, she still hesitantly stepped forward ever so slightly. "I…I…"

After a moment of incoherent stuttering, she closed her mouth and looked down at the ground.

Millianna tilted her head to the side, before turning to Broly and issuing him a confused frown. "Why won't she talk?"

"Don't you remember how scared we were when we were first brought here?" Jellal cut in, speaking up in his place. "She's been taken from her home and everything else she's ever known. It makes sense that she's scared to interact with us."

"Aw… you don't have to be scared! We'll be your friends!"

The red-head look back up hesitantly, eyes trembling. "Friends…?"

Walking forward, Jellal smiled brightly and rested a reassuring hand on the girl's shoulder. "Yeah! We'll all be your best friends, and friends look after each other, right guys?"

"Yep!" Millianna confirmed cheerfully.

"It would be the dandy thing to do," Wally grinned.

"Of course," Broly nodded, smiling softly.

He'd always had a bit of an issue trusting strangers, but the redhead's obvious discomfort was slowly eating away at his reluctance to interact with her and Simon. He'd never known what it was like to be taken away from his family, given that the island was the only home he'd ever known. However, even with that being the case, Jellal, Millianna and Wally had told him many stories of their previous lives out in the outside world. Shô was too young to remember his former life, but the others had spun tales of blue skies, emerald forests, and lives full of happiness. Leaving such a thing behind sounded more difficult than anything else Broly could imagine.

And now, the two newcomers in front of him had been stripped of that gift of freedom.

He knew there was nothing he could say or do that could ever really help them move past such a thing, but perhaps extending a hand of friendship could make their pain go away, even if only slightly.

Jellal's smile eventually proved to be infectious, as the red-haired girl finally adopted one of her own. "I… my name is Erza."

"Erza, huh?" Jellal questioned, audibly rolling the name around on his tongue. "Got a last name?"

"Um, no… I never knew my parents…"

"No last name? Then we'll just have to come up with one for you! Any suggestions, guys?"

"Kitty!" Millianna replied instantly, pumping a tiny fist in excitement.

"That doesn't sound like any kind of a last name _I'd _want to have…" Wally interjected.

"Well too bad for you! I think it'd be a _great _name!"

Shô continued to sleep quietly on the floor, blissfully unaware of the events unfolding around him.

Broly rolled his eyes, unfolding his arms and resting his hands on his hips. Jellal had never offered to give _him_ or Millanna last names. Who did he think he was trying to fool, when it was so obvious that he was trying to impress the new girl? Broly made a face; who had time for crushes and stuff like that when they were constantly working on the tower? Still, he too made a mental effort to come up with a suitable last name.

Her eyes were brown… maybe something like 'Hazel?'

No, that didn't sound like it'd pair well with her first name…

Suddenly, it hit him like a charging boar.

"Scarlet."

Everyone blinked in unison, turning towards him collectively.

"Scarlet," he repeated confidently. "After her hair color."

"Erza Scarlet, huh?" Jellal smiled, before turning back to the redhead in question. "What do you think about that?"

Erza smiled brightly, fixing Broly with a look that made him slightly uncomfortable. Well, it wasn't really _uncomfortable_… but it did make his chest tighten in a weird way that he'd never experienced before.

"I love it," she said. "Thank you."

"Yeah, sure," he mumbled under his breath, averting his eyes from her grateful gaze, "no problem…"

Rob clapped suddenly, thankfully drawing Erza's attention away and allowing Broly to breathe out a sigh of relief. "There now, don't you all feel so much better having made new friends? I used to know a man who would always say that friendship is the greatest magic of all, and I've come to believe that rings very true."

Jellal snorted, placing his hands on his hips. "I don't know about all that, Grandpa…"

"Wait, what about him?" Simon asked, looking down at Shô. The young boy was still sleeping peacefully. Taking notice, Millianna walked over and draped a tattered blue blanket over his body. It was small, but it would suffice.

"That's Shô," Broly spoke up again. "He usually falls asleep pretty quickly after we're all done with work for the day. You won't hear a peep out of him until morning."

"The rest of you should all be off to bed soon as well," Rob said, sitting down on a stone bench. "Miss Erina would be upset if you were all too tired to work tomorrow. We wouldn't want that to happen, would we?"

Millianna and Wally groaned, but Jellal suddenly perked up.

"We can't go to sleep yet, Grandpa Rob!" he declared. "You haven't told us a story yet!"

"Oh come now, I'm sure you kids are all too tired to hear one of my tall tales…"

"NO!" Millianna cried out, leaping forward and latching herself on the elderly man's right leg. Her eyes brimmed with tears, and her lower lip trembled threateningly. "You have to tell us one!"

Broly grinned. Rob was done for; there was no one on Earth Land who could resist Millianna's secret weapon whenever she wanted something badly enough. Other than the guards, of course, but they didn't count.

Though he should have been long-since used to the little girl's methods of manipulation by now, Rob immediately crumbled and rested a gentle hand atop her head. "There there, my dear," he soothed reassuringly, "there's no need to resort to tears. I would be happy to tell you all a story."

The waterworks ceased immediately, and Millianna sat back with a triumphant grin etched across her face.

"Heh, he never stood a chance," Wally snickered.

"Never," Jellal agreed, nodding.

"Nope," Broly grinned.

Shô continued to saw logs in his sleep.

Erza and Simon could only watch everything unfold in bewilderment, though there were slightly amused grins adorning both of their faces as well.

Leaning against the back of the bench, Rob made himself comfortable. Millianna was quick to climb up into his lap, and he placed his hand on her head once more, combing his fingers gently through her light brown locks. "Now, what will it be tonight?"

"Tell us how magic works!" Wally shouted immediately.

"No, tell us about the time you took down an entire platoon of bandits by yourself!" Jellal countered.

Broly sat down on the ground, already fairly confident in how things would progress. One way or another, the topic of discussion during story time always came back to one thing. "Tell us about Fairy Tail again, Grandpa."

"Oh yeah, do that!"

"Whatever, I guess that's okay…"

Rob chuckled. "Again? Broly, I just told you about that this morning."

The nine-year-old shrugged. No matter how many times he'd heard about it in the past, he always loved listening to his grandfather speak about his former guild. It sounded like such a different place than the island, and the way of life all of the guild members enjoyed was something Broly coveted greatly. "It's okay. I wanna hear it again."

"What's Fairy Tail?" Erza inquired aloud, plopping down next to him.

A bead of sweat dripped down his temple, and his tail twitched nervously. That weird feeling in his chest had just returned with a vengeance…

Oblivious to his grandson's internal struggle, Rob smiled at the innocent question. "Fairy Tail is the name of the magical guild that I was once a member of, my dear."

"Whoa! You used to be a wizard?" Simon breathed in awe. He sat down as well, making himself comfortable on Erza's other side.

"Used to be?" Rob laughed jovially. "I may be getting on in years, but I'm still very much a wizard. Unfortunately, my magic power isn't exactly what it used to be."

Simon nodded in understanding as Jellal and Wally sat down next to one another on the stone floor.

"Now then, what to tell first? Given that we have some newcomers, I believe it would only be right of me to start from the very beginning. Fairy Tail has been around for several decades, but when it was originally founded in Year X686, it was said to have been done so by an actual fairy."

"Wow!" Erza exclaimed suddenly, eyes sparkling. "Is that true?!"

Rob chuckled. "Who can truly say? I have no idea whether or not such a claim is accurate, but all of us back then were content with leaving it a mystery. However, I _can_ say without a shadow of a doubt that Fairy Tail was founded with other such mysteries in mind."

"What does that mean?" Simon inquired.

Smiling, Rob turned to the other children. "Would any of you kids care to explain?"

"Oh, oh! I can!" Millianna grinned excitedly. "Do fairies have tails? We don't know!"

Jellal and Wally collapsed to the floor at the ridiculously abridged version of what was otherwise a fairly complicated and profound philosophy.

Broly, on the other hand, smiled widely, having learned the story by heart. "Do fairies have tails? Nobody really knows. Fairy Tail was created with the idea of solving such mysteries. But uncovering the truth isn't really the main point; making friends and treasuring the journey you undertake along the way is what's really important."

Rob nodded proudly. "I couldn't have said it any better myself, my boy. Indeed, each of Fairy Tail's Masters have been entrusted with teaching this philosophy to each new generation that comes under their care. The end of the road, or the end of life if you'd prefer to think of it that way, is an admittedly scary think to focus on. That's why Fairy Tail's motto encourages its members to instead enjoy their lives as they live them, and to do so to the absolute fullest. Spend every single one of your days on this world doing your best to improve it, and to help those who call it home, while also making as many friends as you can along the way."

"Why is it so important to make a lot of friends?" Simon asked.

"Think of it this way. If you had to tie a rope around a giant boulder and lift it into the air, do you think you could do it by yourself?"

"Well, I-"

"Be honest, child."

Simon's face turned red, and he lowered his gaze towards the ground. "No… I don't think I could…"

Jellal snickered. Wally punched him in the shoulder, causing the blue-haired boy to yelp loudly.

Ignoring them, Rob only continued to smile warmly. "Exactly. Sometimes, during this journey we call life, we will encounter obstacles that are too difficult for us to overcome on our own. That is why it is so important to make friends, who we can rely on in times of great strife. However, it is always important to understand that your friends need to be able to rely on you as well. Friendship is a wonderful thing, but it can only work properly if everyone in the relationship does their part and works harmoniously."

The children all listened in respectful silence, and Simon raised his head back up to do so more properly.

"Now, as for Fairy Tail itself. Heh, I highly doubt there is a more rambunctious guild anywhere else in the world. I'm not sure what they're like these days, but back when I was a young man, the members of the guild seemed to always find a way to land themselves in trouble. Even in the simple act of saving a town from dangerous beasts or hunting down a group of bandits, we seemed to somehow destroy something important in the process."

Millianna giggled.

Erza did so as well, hiding her mouth behind a single hand.

The weird sensation in Broly's chest hit him again like a brutal uppercut to the chin. What the heck was wrong with him?! Why did the feeling increase whenever he glanced over at his new red-haired friend? Whatever was going on, hopefully it would go away if he just did his best to ignore it…

"You kids may think it's funny, be we stopped laughing when we were forced to pay for the damages with our own money!" Rob chuckled, reaching up to wipe a tear from his eye. "Oh yes, the Magic Council was always on our tails over one thing or another. Thankfully, though, they never saw fit to punish us to any extreme degree. Now that I look back, I'm truly grateful that they were so lenient with us."

"Being in a guild sounds so cool!" Wally grinned. "Hey gramps, do you think we could all become wizards someday?"

"Yeah, yeah! I wanna be a wizard too!" Millianna shouted passionately, pumping her tiny fists in the air.

"Well, I see no reason why not," Rob replied, gently rubbing the little girl's head. "However, if you want to become wizards, you'll all need to learn magic first."

"How do we do that?" Erza asked.

"Well, as you may know, magic is not simply bestowed at random; you have to work very hard in order to unlock your magical abilities. However, magic energy is indeed dormant within every living thing on our planet. If you wish to bring it to the surface, then you must not only work hard every day to train your body and mind, but you must also have faith in yourself."

"Why is something like that important?" the redhead inquired further.

"Think of it this way…" Rob replied, raising a finger for emphasis. "Magic in its purest form is actually not so different from religious faith. You may not always be able to see it, and it might not always be tangible, but they can both work miracles provided one believes hard enough. Some potential wizards train themselves for their entire lives, but they are still unable to gain access to their magic. Would any of you care to venture a guess as to why that may be…?"

Jellal frowned. "Is it because they didn't train hard enough?"

"Not exactly. Try again."

"Did they have magic to begin with?" Simon guessed.

"As I said, my boy, _everyone _has the potential to use magic. However, only a select few are able to discover the secret to correctly unlocking it."

Broly grinned, allowing his tail to swish through the air behind him freely. "It's because they didn't put their heart into it, right grandpa?"

"Correct," Rob nodded in affirmation. "Training the body to it's physical peak can only get you so far. True magical strength actually comes from the heart, and that is why it's so important to believe in yourself. If you are unable to do so, you still might be able to use a small bit of magic, but it will not be nearly as powerful as it _could _be."

"What kind of magic do you think we'll be able to use?" Millianna inquired curiously.

"I can't say for certain, my dear; magic varies from person to person, so there is no way to accurately guess what kind of abilities you may have. However, you _will_ unlock magic powers of some form. Now then, I'm sorry to say that any further questions will have to wait until tomorrow night. It's getting late, and you kids should really be getting off to bed."

The group of children, save for Shô, let out a collective groan of disappointment.

"But grandpa!"

"Can we please just hear _one _more story?"

"We'll be good!"

"Sorry children, that will be all for tonight," Rob repeated firmly yet gently. In his lap, Millianna pouted as she was carefully lifted up and deposited on the stone floor next to Shô.

Wally and Jellal did their best to continue hauling for another story, but Broly was content to lay flat on his back and stare up at the ceiling. Drowning out the voices of his friends and grandfather, he closed his eyes and once again allowed his mind to drift to thoughts of the outside world. Every time he was told about it, it only seemed to become more appealing. He didn't know when, but _someday _he would leave the island and go explore the vast world beyond the ocean.

And who knew?

Perhaps he'd even make his way to Fairy Tail…

A sudden poke in his ribs made his eyes snap open. Though he didn't sit up, he did look down in the direction where the sensation had originated. To his momentary surprise, Erza smiled back down at him.

"What's up?" he asked, doing his best to ignore the odd feeling that once again flared up in his chest.

"Thank you again," she replied, widening her smile even further.

"For what?"

"For giving me a last name."

Shuffling slightly, Broly grunted and averted his eyes from her warm gaze. "Y-Yeah… you're, uh… you're welcome…"

Nodding happily, Erza laid down directly next to him.

Broly choked when her elbow lightly brushed against his ribcage. There was still plenty of room between them, but for some reason it still felt like the entire room had suddenly grown _much _smaller…

Ugh.

Girls were weird…

Rolling over onto his side and facing away from his newest friend, Broly closed his eyes and slowly allowed himself to drift off into the realm of sleep.

His dreams were filled with images of freedom.

* * *

**UwU.**

**Lil' Broly has just discovered his first crush.**

**However, I'm going to do my best to not put too much emphasis on that part of the story just yet. I mean, Broly and Erza are still just kids for crying out loud. Even so, I'm sure we can all think back and remember that childish first crush we all had back in the day.**

**Speaking of the characters and their current ages, here is a list:**

**-Broly: 9 years old**

**-Erza Scarlet: 8 years old**

**-Jellal Fernandes: 8 years old**

**-Simon Mikazuchi: 9 years old**

**-Wally Buchanan: 8 years old**

**-MIllianna: 5 years old**

**-Shô: 4 years old**

**So yeah, in this chapter, I provided a bit of background to some of the things that occurred during the time skip between the present and when Broly first arrived on Earth Land. Most notably, he turned into a Great Ape when he was two-years-old. I know that some of you might have wanted to see that scene written out in full, but I can assure you that it will happen again at some point down the road. For now, however, Broly has been told that he is forbidden from venturing outside during nights of the full moon.**

**But, as we all know, he can't avoid doing that forever.**

**Additionally, I know that some of you might be questioning why Broly doesn't just fly away and leave the island. Well, if memory serves correctly, Saiyan children actually need to be taught how to fly by their parents or older siblings. This was seen at the beginning of the **_**Buu Saga **_**in **_**DBZ **_**when Goten asked Gohan to teach him how to do so. I'm not sure if this is actually considered a canon fact, but it's what I'm going with.**

**Broly will need to be taught how to fly, and I already have a teacher in mind.**

**However, **_**that **_**character won't be appearing until later on in the story.**

**Before I forget, I'd also like to open up a small poll concerning Broly's future last name. I plan on having Erza give it to him in return for doing the same for her, but I can't think of a good one at the moment. Therefore, I'd like to ask all of you to give me some last name suggestions. Just drop them in your reviews.**

**I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Thanks for reading!**

**AlucardsBro OUT!**


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